First jobs and We work with our nonprofit partners to identify In North America, even amid COVID-19, we Plan International: apprenticeships high-potential talent and, often via targeted honored all our Skills to Succeed internship A long-standing partnership pre-employment training and work experience commitments and maintained apprenticeship reaches a milestone programs, we create opportunities to join our targets. In our North America apprenticeship company, helping individuals to grow their program, we hire, train and provide career We are continually innovating to find new ways careers, develop new skills, access advanced opportunities at Accenture for people from of creating and building more inclusive career technology and work with our client teams. backgrounds historically underrepresented in Over our 10-year collaboration with Plan pathways so everyone has access to sustainable We have seen that this, in turn, increases technology and professional careers. Since International we have supported more than careers. To do so, we partner with governments, confidence, earning potential and social mobility 2016, we’ve created opportunities for 800 45,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged young nonprofits, universities and others to educate, for these individuals. apprentices across more than 25 of our North people—with a focus on young women—in train and support the incoming workforce America offices and were able to keep up the finding their first job or starting a business. through internship, apprenticeship and first job Impact hires are employed across all areas momentum through the pandemic. The majority This year we supported the Wired for Work opportunities—including at Accenture. of Accenture’s business and in 23 countries of apprentices stay on with Accenture as collaboration in Indonesia and the Philippines where we operate, with the highest number of permanent employees after graduating from and launched the Yes!Hub—a knowledge-sharing Impact hiring: individuals joining us in Latin America and the program. platform and set of digital tools for nonprofit the United States. workers. The Hub is part of the Yes!Digital Creating new pathways for For example, in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia We also nearly doubled the U.S. Skills to ecosystem that provides marginalized young future success and Mexico, our START initiative offers low- Succeed internship program’s capacity in 2020 people with job readiness through virtual training, income students a three- to four-month pre- by hosting interns from other companies and online job matching, and a chatbot that provides employment e-learning program with 200 hours programs whose internships had been canceled resume development guidance and interview We are committed to driving growth and of technical, digital skills and soft skills training due to the crisis, offering valuable work prep. The overall partnership contributed to innovation through an inclusive workforce that to prepare them for jobs in technology and experience to more than 270 young people 7,500 youths receiving skilling and 1,330 gaining reflects the full diversity of our clients and administration. Since 2013, more than 2,400 this year. And, since 2015, more than 590 employment in fiscal 2020. communities. Impact hiring offers opportunities students have graduated from the program, impact hires have joined our workforce in to work with us for those who may lack access to and, of these, nearly 800 have been hired the United States. traditional recruiting channels and, in doing so, by Accenture. we create alternative pipelines of talent, positively contributing to our business. United Nations Global Compact: Communication on Progress 2020 | 28